Poll

Farm

Emerging corn plants in this field south of Hagarstown form a wavelike pattern as the rows follow the contours of the field. State statistics indicate that Illinois farmers are 95 percent complete with corn planting and 64 percent complete with soybean planting.

Wireless networking, Wi-Fi, Internet signals – whatever term you use, it means sharing information between computers or devices that are not connected through cables or wires. Information is instead converted to radio signals and transmitted through the air.

Soil moisture levels in Illinois are high in the middle of April, according to Jennie Atkins, Water and Atmospheric Resources Monitoring (WARM) program manager at the Illinois State Water Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois.
Soil moisture levels at 2 inches averaged 37 percent by volume across the state on April 14, just at the field capacity for most of the soils measured.

The difference in corn prices between 2012 and 2013 means a nearly $7.5 billion loss to the Illinois economy.
Data resulting from an analysis conducted by Western Illinois University’s (WIU) Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs clearly illustrate the close tie between a strong corn industry and economic activity across the state of Illinois.
“When corn prices are strong, the impacts are felt statewide,” said Gary Hudson, Illinois Corn Growers Association (ICGA) president.

Southern Illinois University Carbondale is helping Midwest soybean farmers combat a parasitic roundworm – the soybean cyst nematode, sometimes referred to as the “billion dollar pest.” And they are using the soybean itself to do it.

Illinois corn growers intend to plant 11.9 million acres of corn in 2014, down 1 percent from 2013.
Soybean planted area is expected to total 9.5 million acres, up 1 percent from the previous year.
Sorghum is expected to be planted in 30,000 acres, up 30 percent from 2013.
Winter wheat area seeded last fall is estimated at 740,000 acres, down 15 percent from the previous year.
The area planted to oats is expected to total 35,000 acres, down 12 percent from 2013.